System for automatically controlling the movement of trains



c.- z. STEPHENS. SYSTEM FOR AUTOMATICALLY CONTROLLING THE MOVEMENT OF TRAINS. APPLICATION FILED DEC. 20, I918.

1,391,519, Patentedflept. 20, 1921.

o q QN -1- UNITED STATES Cannes 2. STEPHENS, or RICHMOND, vmemm, assmnon, BY uns rm m y. ME N"1S', To AMERICAN AUTOMATIC TRAIN CONTROL conronaTron; A conrolib TION OE MARYLAN D. I

PATENT OFFICE.

SYSTEM Ton A TOMATICALLY coNTnonLme' THE MOVEMENT or Tnu'iws;

To all whom it'mag concern:

"- --Be it known that I, CHARLES Z. STEPHENS,

a citizen of the United States residing at- Richmond, in the county of lienrico and State of Virginia, have invented certain new. and useful Improvements in Systems for Automatically :Controlling the Movement of Trains, of which the following is a specification. p v invention relates to an lmproved systeinfor automatically controlling the moveinent of trains.

-'Inall train controlling systems, withinmy knowledge, in which the track rails. are formed into insulated sections and ramp rails or other means are employed-to transmit electrical-energy to the vehicle to effect,

on .the latter, an indication of the condition, ofthe. track ahead, there exists. a possibility of thelramp rail or other means of the section through which the train is traveling, remaining en'er 'zed, after the vehicle or train has passe such rampor other means and before the vehicle has left the section guarded by the passed ramp or other means,

.ramp rail last passed, and if that last-passed ramp oriother means, remains energized, a train or vehlcle follow ng, would be given a false clear 1nd1cat1on to proceed through the section, when. as a' matter of fact the preceding train or vehicle is still in the same section; The object therefore of this invention is j to provide a system which will avoid these serious defects and which will effect a condition at, the ramp rail or other means so .451

promptly as to prevent the approach of a second-train or vehicle. I

With this main and other objects in view,

the invention isillustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein a system embodying the invention n a simple formis shown diagrammatically. i

Specification of Letters Patent.

re of two kind.- One kind or set of these-- blocks. is designated as 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11 Patented Sept. 20, 1921.; Application fl1ed'December20, 1918. Serial No. 267,654. l

while the other kind or set of blocks is design'ated as 4, 6, 8 and 10. .One important difference between these. two sets of blocks is that those comprising the set designated as 4, 6, 8 and 10 are very short as compared with those included in the set .3-5 f--7 9 and 11. These'two sets. of blocks are so arranged that a short block is located or interposed between two longer blocks.

In practising the invention I provide the shorter blocks with some form-of meansby WhlCh to transmit to mechanism on ave-- hicle, electrical energy to efiect certain 'operzliltlqns for the safe control of the'train or ve ic e. V

The particular form of this energy-transmitting means may be varied and such current may be transmitted. by induction or by current pickedup from ramp rails.

In the present illustration of the invention I show ramp rails 12 and 13at each.

short block section, and while these railsmay have a staggered -relation with respect to each other, I prefer to arrange them di-.

rectly opposite for the reason that the .short blocks which contain these ramps may be made sufficiently short, for reasons presently to be explained. Inasmuch as under the present invention the short blocks or sections alone are pro vided with ramp rails or other energytransmitting means'I will hereinafter referto them as the short ramp sections to distinguish them from the longer sections which have, no ramps.

A track relay instrument, 14, commonly track rails. By this means the track relay 14:, of a section is kept energized so long as the short ramp section is clear, but will become denergized upon the entrance of a vehicle or train'in that section.

The longer blocks or sections 3, 5, 7 ,9 and 11 respectively each have-their two rails at one end connected to the opposite sides of track relay instruments 16, and at the other ends of said longer sections, the two track rails are connected to opposite sides or poles of a battery or current supply 17, so that as long as a longer block or section is clear, the track relay instrument for that block will be kept energized and certain armatures of those relays will be held up to maintain certain circuits, as willpresently be more clearly explained.

Each track relay 1 1, of a short ramp section has associated with it a line relay 18, while each track relay 16, of a long block or section has associated with it aline relay 19.

A ramp-rail battery or other current supply 20, is provided in connection with each line relay 18, and normally this current supply has one pole or side connected to the ramp or other energy transmitting means of the short block with which said line relay.

18, is associated. I

The line relays 18 and 19 are energized by line batteries or current supplies 21, and

while both of these relays operate to establish connections, under certain conditions between the ramp-rail current supply 20 and the ramps, they are mainly utilized so that one will control the trafiic in one direction while the other will control trafiie in the reverse direction.

In practice it is desirable to locate the track and line relays, one ramp-rail battery and aline battery, in one case or housing. Each line battery operates to supply current for a line relay of a block or section several blocks in the rear, and the maintenance of the circuit depends upon the positions of the relay-armatures in the intervening blocks, said positions of the armatures being dependent upon the presence or absence of a train in such block or blocks.

Each track relay controls a plurality of armatures and each line relay'also controls a plurality of armatures. The circuit between a line battery and the relay which that battery energizes, includes a plurality of intervening track-relay armatures, so

that all those armatures must be held up to complete the circuit and energize the line relay in the rear of said line battery.

In accordance with the present invention the line relays 18 and 19 are energized by I stick circuits from their respective batteries and one line battery will control one line relay for trafiic in one d1: :CtiOIl.

In order, in the drawing, to distinguish the several track and line relays, the same are lettered from A to P inclusive; the ramp batteries are'lettered Q, to T'inclusive, and the line batteries are lettered U to X inelusive.

By reference to the drawing it will be noted that the line relays I, K, M and O,

operate to control trafiic from left to right,-

eifect these energizations the current must pass through at leastfour armature-contacts that are controlled by track relays. To make these connections clear, the circuit from line battery U, will be described after which the circuits from the other line batteries can be readily understood.

From battery U, the circuit would include wire 22; armaturecontacts 23 and 24'; wire 25; armature-contacts 26 andj27; wire 28 to contact 29; armature-cont ct 30 of line relay M; wires 31 and 32 to and through cuit, then return by wires 33, 3 1 and 35 to a common wire 36, and by branch wire 37 back to the negative 'side of line battery U. It will thus be seen that to maintain the line relay M, from the line battery U; track relays=A, B. C and D must all be energized in order to hold armaturecontacts 23, 24, 26 and 27 in closed position. This means that blocks 4, 5, 6 and 7 must all be clear.

It therefore a train enters the short ramp section or block 4, track relay A, will imme diately become deenergized and all the arma tures controlled by that relay A, will drop, including armature contact '23. When armature of relay A drops, contact 23 will drop and cause a break in the circuit from theline battery U, to line relay M, and this relay M, will also become denergized and drop its armature-contacts 30 and 38.

It will be noted that each line relay conrelay magnet M, thus forming a stick'cir trols at least one contact, such'as the contact A 38, which is interposed between theram'p battery and theramp rails v12-13, but that two such armature-contacts one of each of two line relays are provided between one ramp battery and its ramps. For example a train 39, is illustrated as occupying block or section 4, and another train 40, is in block 11. Track relay A, is deenergized. Armature-contact 23, is down consequently relay M, is deenergized because current is cut off from line battery U to relay M. As relay M, is denergized its contact 38, will be down.

In a similar manner train 40, in block 11, causes a deenergization of track relay H, and all of its contacts, including contact 41, will drop. When contact 41, drops current from Contacts 43 and '38, are both arranged in a ramp rail circuit fromv ram battery's to ram rails 12 and 13, of bloc 8, so that if battery S, could pass by wires 44, 45 to 'con-" tact 43; then 'by wires 46 and 47, to the.

bloc s 9, and 11, were all clear relay N, would be energized and contact 43, would be up with the result that currentfrom ramp ramps 12 and' 13 of block 8,' returnin through the wheel of the vehicle to the trac rails 1- andby wire 48, back to ramp bat- N teliy S.

, 1; will therefore 'be'seen that current. from a ramp-batte to the ram s sup lied by that battery ay travel thr dugh. dither of two armature' contacts each of which is 'controlled by a separate relay, and that before a complete break is effected between a ramp battery ,andits ramps, both of these separately-maintained contacts must be drop ed.

As a train 39, is presumed to be in s ort ramp section 4', and another train 40, is presumed to be in block or section 11, line relays K, L, M and N willall be denergized because of the dro 'ping' of the contacts of track relay A, an the dropping of the contacts of track relay-H. From the foregoing explanation it will be understood that the circuit from a line battery to the line relay which it controls is checked through armature-contacts of a plurality of track re1ays; that a plurality .of separately or independently operated contacts are arranged in the ramp-rail circuits and that both of said separately operated contacts must be dro ped to effect a complete dener ization of t e ramp rail, and that each 0 the ramp-rail control contacts is in turn controlled by a relay which is maintained by astick circuit.

In'practice, the short ramp blocks or sections 4, 6, 8 and 10 are preferabl very short,

say 300 to 350 feet long althoug this length may be varied, whereas the. long rampless sections or sections without ramps,- are of suflicient length to permit a train running at high speed to be brought to stop within said long section.

In practice I have found that'best results can be obtained. if-the short ramp sections are made of such length that the distance between each end of the ramp rails and the insulated joints at the same end of the section be slightly more than the distance between the contact shoes on two coupled-together. en ines so that the shoe of the second engine w1ll leave the ramp rail before the wheels of the first engine reach the insulated joints at the forward end of the short seean opposite direction;

tion. If the distance between the end of the ramp and the insulated joint were less than the distance between two contact shoes on coupled engines, the first engine when crossing the joint would cause the breakingdown or dropping of the second of the two rampcurrent' control armatures and thereby deenergize the ,ramp before the shoe of the second engine clears that ram 'gand such'deenergization of the ramp w ile the second shoe is .in contact, therewith would cause. a denergization of the control magnet on the second vehicle and hereby produce a false stolg. Y aving described my -invent1on what I claim is,-- Y

1'. In atrain control system the combination with the track rails provided at intervals with insulated joints and forming long and short insulated blocks, ofva track relay for each block, means along the shorter blocks only for transmitting electrical en-. ergiy to a control .mechanism on a vehicle an means for supplying electrical energy to the transmitting means along the said shorter blocks said supplying means including two movable devices one of which is con- .trolled by the approach of traffic in 'one direction and the other controlled by traflic in n a train control system the combination'withthe. track rails provided at intervals with insulated joints and forming alternate long and short insulated blocks, of-

means along the short blocks only for transmitting electrical energy to a control mechanism on a vehicle, a current supply for each of the said transmitting means, two relays each having an armature, and a cir-. cuit between the current supply and the en-- er transmitting means, said circuit'being maintained by either armature of said two relays.

3. In a train control system the combination with the track rails provided at intervals with insulated joints and forming alternate long and short insulated blocks, of a track rela for each block; means alongthe short bloc s only for transmitting'electrical energy to a control mechanism on a vehicle; 11 a current supply for the said transmitting means; two independentlyoperable relays,one controlled by'trafiic in one direction and the other controlled by traffic in a reverse direction andeach relay having an 1 0 armature, connections from one slde of the said transmitting current supply to both of 4. n a train control system the combma- "tion with the track mils pronided at inter- 13 vals' with insulated joints and forming 211- said relays having an armature, and connecternate long and short insulated blocks, of tions between the transmitting current supmeans along the short blocks for transmi'tply, the transmitting-means and the track 10 ting electrical energy to a control meeharail, said connections including an armature nism on a vehicle, a current supply for the of each of said independent relays. transmitting means, two independent relays In testimony whereof I affix my si nature.

each energized by a stielceircuit and each of CHARLES Z. STEPIfENS. 

